Ground glass appearance is a descriptive term used in ultrasound to characterize the internal content of certain cysts and masses that display diffuse, low-level, homogeneous internal echoes, giving the appearance of frosted or ground glass. This appearance is most classically associated with endometriomas, or chocolate cysts, in which the old, deoxygenated blood within the cyst creates a uniformly hazy, semi-transparent quality on ultrasound. The ground glass pattern can also be seen in some hemorrhagic cysts and certain types of dermoid cysts. Recognizing this characteristic ultrasound appearance helps narrow the differential diagnosis and can allow a confident diagnosis of endometrioma without the need for additional imaging.
Sonography Term